Semiconductor devices are placed into continuous strips or reels of device carrier tape having recesses therein for holding semiconductor devices in a predefined orientation. A thin tape seals the semiconductor devices in the recesses in the carrier tape during shipping and prior to removing the devices when reels of such devices are used in automated production lines where the semiconductor devices have to be removed for testing or mounting on circuit board. In some instances, the cover tape becomes damaged or peels back from the tape. In this instance, the devices may fall out of the tape recesses, or the damaged tape may not be properly removable prior to testing of the devices or placement of the device on a printed circuit board.
When the cover tape becomes damaged, it has to be removed and/or devices have to be placed back into the recesses. Even though there is damage to the tape at only a few places, a defective reel of tape has to be cut into short strips. The tape and the semiconductor devices are removed manually by an operation, and put into a carrier tube or tray. After all the devices have been removed, they must be re-inspected for lead damage and then processed back through a tape and reel machine a second time. The hand removal and replacement of the devices is time consuming.